@$*=«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«=*$@
#@$*=«,¨¨¨ ¨¨¨,«=*$@#
##@$*=«,¨¨ ¨¨,«=*$@##
###@$*=«,¨ ¨,«=*$@###
##@$*=«,¨¨ ¨¨,«=*$@##
#@$*=«,¨¨¨ WINDS ESKER ¨¨¨,«=*$@#
@$*=«,¨¨¨¨ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¨¨¨¨,«=*$@
$*=«,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,«=*$
*=«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ THERE WAS THIS PLACE THAT FOR TWO YEARS ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=*
=«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ I COULDN'T GO TO. REGARDLESS HOW MUCH ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ DISCUSSED WITH OTHERS, OR POINTED OUT ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ON MAPS, I COULD NOT THINK OF IT WHEN ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ALONE. I WOULD OFTEN TRAVEL PAST THE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ FORK, WHERE A RIGHT TURN WOULD SURELY ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ TAKE ME THERE, BUT EVEN THEN, SOMETHING ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
=«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ KEPT ME AWAY. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=
*=«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=*
$*=«,¨¨¨¨¨ WHEN I FINALLY GOT THERE, AFTER SOME ¨¨¨¨¨,«=*$
@$*=«,¨¨¨¨ HEAVY SUBCONSCIOUS BATTLE I MUST ¨¨¨¨,«=*$@
#@$*=«,¨¨¨ ASSUME, THE PLACE WAS SURREAL. AN ¨¨¨,«=*$@#
##@$*=«,¨¨ ESKER, LIKE A NEEDLE-THIN RIFT OUT IN ¨¨,«=*$@##
###@$*=«,¨ THE LAKE, BUT TEN METERS HIGH AND ¨,«=*$@###
##@$*=«,¨¨ ADORNED IN BIRCH, WILLOW, BRACKEN, AND ¨¨,«=*$@##
#@$*=«,¨¨¨ BLUEBERRIES. ¨¨¨,«=*$@#
@$*=«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«=*$@
$*=«,¨¨¨¨¨ WALKING ATOP THAT SPINE, I CAME TO ¨¨¨¨¨,«=*$
*=«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ NOTICE THE VIEW TO EITHER SIDE. THERE ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=*
=«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ SHOULD BE SHORES, OF COURSE, BUT I ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ DIDN'T RECOGNIZE THEM. FIRST OFF, THEY ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ WERE MUCH TOO CLOSE, AS THE LAKE SHOULD ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ STRETCH FOR A HUNDRED METERS MORE ON ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ BOTH SIDES. BUT NOW I FELT I COULD ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ALMOST REACH OUT AND TOUCH THEM. AND ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
=«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ THEN, WHEN I REALIZED WHICH SHORES THEY ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=
*=«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ WERE, I HAD TO STOP. ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=*
$*=«,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,«=*$
@$*=«,¨¨¨¨ THEY WERE OF THE RIGHT LAKE. BUT THIS ¨¨¨¨,«=*$@
#@$*=«,¨¨¨ LAKE IS LARGE, FRACTURED, AND ¨¨¨,«=*$@#
##@$*=«,¨¨ BIPARTITE. LIKE A PAIR OF LUNGS CARVED ¨¨,«=*$@##
###@$*=«,¨ INTO THE GRANITE, AND WITH NO LESS THAN ¨,«=*$@###
##@$*=«,¨¨ FIVE COMMUNITIES ANCHORED AT VARIOUS ¨¨,«=*$@##
#@$*=«,¨¨¨ POINTS. AND SO, STUDYING THESE ¨¨¨,«=*$@#
@$*=«,¨¨¨¨ IMPOSSIBLY CLOSE SHORES, I SLOWLY ¨¨¨¨,«=*$@
$*=«,¨¨¨¨¨ UNDERSTOOD THEM AS BELONGING MANY MILES ¨¨¨¨¨,«=*$
*=«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ AWAY. ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=*
=«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ I EXAMINED THE RIDGE, THE TREELINE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ABOVE. WAS THIS WHAT YOU SAW OPPOSITE, ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ FROM THOSE OTHER SHORES? I COULDN'T ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ REMEMBER. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
=«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ CARRYING FORWARD, ON THE VERY TIP OF ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=
*=«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ THE ESKER, I FOUND THE RUINS OF SOME ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=*
$*=«,¨¨¨¨¨ OLD BUILDING. THERE WERE OVERGROWN ¨¨¨¨¨,«=*$
@$*=«,¨¨¨¨ MARBLE STAIRCASES, STONE FLOORS BENEATH ¨¨¨¨,«=*$@
#@$*=«,¨¨¨ THE MOSS, AND STRANGE SLABS INSERTED ¨¨¨,«=*$@#
##@$*=«,¨¨ INTO THE SLOPE LIKE DAMS AGAINST THE ¨¨,«=*$@##
###@$*=«,¨ GROUND ITSELF. ¨,«=*$@###
##@$*=«,¨¨ ¨¨,«=*$@##
#@$*=«,¨¨¨ SITTING THERE, I COULD SEE ACROSS THE ¨¨¨,«=*$@#
@$*=«,¨¨¨¨ NARROWED LAKE MY ENTIRE PATH TO WHERE I ¨¨¨¨,«=*$@
$*=«,¨¨¨¨¨ SAT: FROM THE STAIRWELL OF MY HOUSE, ¨¨¨¨¨,«=*$
*=«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ THROUGH THE OLD WOODS BEHIND THE TILE ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=*
=«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ FACTORY, THE BRIDGE OVER ROUTE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ TWENTY THREE AND THEN BACK UNDER IT, ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ THROUGH THE FANCY VILLAS, OVER THE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ FIELDS, AND THEN THAT RIGHT TURN AT THE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ FORK. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
=«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ AND THEN THE STAIRS UP ON THE RIDGE. ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=
*=«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ THINKING BACK, THIS WAS PROBABLY IT. ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=*
$*=«,¨¨¨¨¨ HIDDEN IN A GROVE, THERE WERE STAIRS ¨¨¨¨¨,«=*$
@$*=«,¨¨¨¨ MUCH LIKE THE ONES I CURRENTLY SAT ON, ¨¨¨¨,«=*$@
#@$*=«,¨¨¨ OLD AND WORN DOWN, THAT LEAD YOU UP ¨¨¨,«=*$@#
##@$*=«,¨¨ ONTO THE ESKER. THE POINT OF ENTRY. HAD ¨¨,«=*$@##
###@$*=«,¨ I INSTED OPTED TO WALK THE PATH AT ITS ¨,«=*$@###
##@$*=«,¨¨ FOOT, I'M SURE MY EXPERIENCE WOULD'VE ¨¨,«=*$@##
#@$*=«,¨¨¨ BEEN DIFFERENT INDEED. ¨¨¨,«=*$@#
@$*=«,¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨,«=*$@
$*=«,¨¨¨¨¨ «««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« ¨¨¨¨¨,«=*$
*=«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=*
=«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ON THE LAKE, THERE WERE PEOPLE IN ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ BOATS. I WONDERED, COULD THEY EVEN SEE ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ME? IF I SHOUTED, WOULD THEY TURN TO ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ STARE RIGHT THROUGH ME? ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨
,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,
«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«
=«,¨¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=
*=«,¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨,«=*
$*=«,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,«=*$